Seacoast chefs face off in new 'After Dark' challenge

Anneke Jans in Kittery, Maine, was filling up Tuesday night at 10:30 with chefs and restaurant-folk.

Minta Carlson

Anneke Jans in Kittery, Maine, was filling up Tuesday night at 10:30 with chefs and restaurant-folk.

There was a quiet buzz of energy and excitement generated by the growing crowd for the first night of Chefs After Dark, the brainchild of chefs Lee Frank of Anneke Jans and David Vargas of Bonta in Hampton.

The layout for the night was simple: Two chefs were to be shown two secret ingredients. They would be given full access to the Anneke Jans' pantry, and also would be allowed to bring their own ingredients or equipment. The chefs would be given 60 minutes to complete two dishes for the judges.

"The chef who wins will be invited to April's competition as a guest judge," Frank said as the night got under way. "David, the owners of Anneke Jans and I are the judges for this round."

Lee and Vargas paired two well-known local chefs for the inaugural competition — Evan Hennessey and Ben Hasty. Hennessey is at Stages at One Washington in Dover, while Hasty, previously of When Pigs Fly in Kittery, is working on opening a new restaurant called Thistle Pig in South Berwick, Maine. The two chefs have a long history together working side by side.

"I've known Ben for years," Hennessey said. "We kind of bounced around, but we've been apart and together, and apart and together. Competing with a close friend takes the word competition out of it. That's my guy over there."

About 50 people had gathered for the show, and the audience was on its toes as the competition began. Cloth napkins had been draped over two plates to hide the secret ingredients, and the crowd mused over what might be hidden up until the unveiling of the brazino — a Mediterranean sea bass — and the California artichokes.

The fish seemed like a challenge in and of itself.

"The traditional approach behind branzino is typically whole fish, although I have seen it in fillet," Vargas said.

Hennessey and Hasty had 10 minutes to consider what they wanted to prepare. They entered the kitchen with palpable energy and laid out similar ingredients, among them mint, leeks, lemons and carrots.

For someone without a culinary background, preparing a whole fish might consume an entire hour, but neither chef touched the fish until well into the competition. They first focused on breaking down the artichokes and getting them in water.

The spectators crowded up against the hardwood counter framing Anneke Jans' open-concept kitchen. Hennessey cooked with incredible speed, never staying in one place for more than a few moments. Hasty, on the other hand, worked with a more centrally focused energy, moving only to turn down a burner or check his pressure cooker.

The scene was inches away from the audience, making the whole event more intimate. At one point an audience member even began to peel potatoes for one of the chefs.

The first dishes came out one after the other, Hennessey leading the way.

With 10 minutes left on the clock, the two chefs scrambled to plate their second dishes.

This time Hasty was out of the kitchen first. He served sea bass crudo with radish, jalapeņo and cucumber, followed by sea bass with braised artichoke, braised fennel and chicken jus.

Hennessey served fillet branzino on its skin, slow poached with jalapeņo, orange zest and charred spring garlic in a broth of artichoke heart, followed by grilled sea bass, pureed fish, leek puree and braised artichokes.

A cheer erupted as Hennessey was crowned the winner, but in the end the competition was about fun. Each chef walked away with a new wooden spoon for a trophy, Hennessey's being nicer than Hasty's.

They also left charged with a sense of camaraderie, reflecting the good-natured competition that the Seacoast has come to expect from its local chefs.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.

Newsletters

Advertise

Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.
seacoastonline.com ~ 111 New Hampshire Ave., Portsmouth, NH 03801 ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service